Are you awestruck by grace?

Why have so many things been said and written about grace? Well, if the topic is “the unmerited favor of God experienced by sinners,” that has to evoke a great deal of interest. Right?  The fact that God’s grace was manifest to humans in the person of Jesus Christ the Son of God definitely merits our attention.

The desperateness of the human condition when separated from God by sin magnifies the need for grace. This idea was poignantly expressed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus when he wrote: “…You were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”

This bad news makes the possibility of experiencing God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense a compelling topic. You see, Paul goes on to remind the recipients of this dire spiritual diagnosis of good news which eclipses the sad tidings:

⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. ⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. –Ephesians 2:4-9, NLT

That which prompts us to ponder and expound upon grace is both the exceedingly wretched state of unforgiven sinners and the glorious transformation which occurs when those same sinners are saved by grace through faith! More than this, though, is the reality that salvation is not some abstract truth to be grasped, but a promise to be experienced by all who, when sufficiently moved by good news, accept the offer of God’s grace. That’s why we all join with John Newton to passionately sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…”

Experiencing grace involves more than having our sins forgiven. There is more—much more! Grace sustains us through every dark valley we trod in life. By God’s grace every need we have is supplied. Grace is both the cause of all creation and the driving force behind the most dramatic events ever to unfold before human eyes. As Frederick Buechner writes:

The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you. There’s only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you’ll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.

Are you awestruck by grace? I hope so. I definitely am. It is by God’s abundant, amazing grace that we even exist. Wow! Because of God’s powerful and plentiful grace, we exist on this earth to fulfill Divine purposes and plans. Wow! And it is only by the marvelous, magnificent grace that we have hope of a destiny of eternal bliss beyond this earthly existence. Wow!

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. –2 Corinthians 13:14, NLT

© Bill Williams
2009.10.20